Calling someone a “DEI hire” is a racist, bigoted, and misogynistic insult. It implies that the only reason a person in a position of power or authority got their job was because of a handout or a numerical preference based on race, ethnicity, or gender. It also wrongly assumes that any white male in a senior position earned his role purely on merit, which anyone who has worked with or for an incompetent white guy promoted through patronage, nepotism, or networking knows is patent nonsense.
The term “DEI hire” is founded on the false belief that people of color and women are unqualified for senior roles. This logic is deeply flawed and unsupported by any facts or data. This despicable trope is typically used by individuals who dislike the policies and positions of someone in authority who happens to be a woman or person of color.
And yet, any woman or person of color who has achieved a senior level position will attest that it was no easy feat. Even if overt bigotry wasn’t present, there was always someone quietly questioning their worthiness, assuming they only got the job because of their race or gender. Many had to work much harder than their white male counterparts to maintain their positions. They’ve had to ignore both external voices of disrespect and internal voices of doubt, because listening to them would be exhausting and self-defeating.
People who use the term “DEI hire” are also signaling to others who share their disrespectful biases that they have no regard for anyone in authority who is a person of color or a woman. They dismiss training, credentials, experience, merit, and achievements as irrelevant. All they see is someone “different” whom they also don’t like because of their political stances and opinions. But they don’t want to say that, and they don’t want to debate them on policy or their record. So instead, they simply call the woman or person of color a “DEI hire,” and rally others who agree against them. What they are really expressing is fear, jealousy, and hatred toward those who don’t fit their narrow, exclusive idea of who should lead.
To underscore the absurdity of the “DEI hire” epithet, let’s apply it to its extreme conclusion. If people of color and women who attained senior levels of authority were only “DEI hires,” then Generals Michael X. Garrett and Vincent Keith Brooks, Admirals Samuel Lee Gravely Jr., Lillian Fishburne, and Michelle Howard, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell would all be “DEI hires.” It means that the CEO’s of Lowe’s, TIAA, Southern Company, C.H. Robinson, Exelon, Qurate, M&T Bank, and SAIC are all “DEI hires.” Anyone familiar with these exceptional leaders knows that labeling them as such is blatant bigotry. It also means that any person of color or woman in power and authority who, like Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming), calls someone else a “DEI hire,” is also a “DEI hire” (I’m sure she would disagree). It’s all horsepucky, juvenile and absurd. But that’s where we are today.
As we approach the next election, one party is striving to be inclusive of all Americans, while the other party denigrates those who don’t fit their narrow vision of who belongs in a leadership role. We are at a societal crossroads. Will we allow a small, angry group of sexist, bigoted individuals, backed by many of the world’s super-rich, to take the reins of power and dismantle America’s progress because they cannot accept diverse leadership? Or will we stand up for respect, decency, and the American dream, where hard work and following the rules lead to success and fulfillment?
At the Center for Respectful Leadership, we support leadership and organizational transformation through the positive power and measurable impact of respect. We believe in the power of civility, decency, and diversity, all of which have made our great nation a global leader.
America’s choice is clear: we either succumb to bigotry, misogyny, corruption, and hate, risking the destruction of our democracy, or we uphold respect, hard work, and the American dream for everyone as our guiding principles for the future.
